interest

noun in·ter·est \ ˈin-t(ə-)rəst ; ˈin-tə-ˌrest , -ˌtrest ; ˈin-tərst \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of interest

1 a (1) : right, title, or legal share in something

(2) : participation in advantage and responsibility

b : business, company

2 a : a charge for borrowed money generally a percentage of the amount borrowed

b : the profit in goods or money that is made on invested capital

c : an excess above what is due or expected

returned the insults with interest

3 : advantage, benefit; also : self-interest

4 : special interest

5 a : a feeling that accompanies or causes special attention to an object or class of objects : concern

b : something that arouses such attention

c : a quality in a thing arousing interest

See interest defined for English-language learners

See interest defined for kids

Examples of interest in a Sentence

She told us about her lifelong interest in music.
The kids listened to the speaker for a little while, but then lost interest.
The speaker wasn't able to hold their interest.
She took an active interest in the political debate.
He expressed an interest in learning more about photography.
The stories about his personal life add interest to the book.
I thought this article might be of interest to you.
We visited many places of interest on our vacation.
The price of the ticket was a matter of interest to everyone.
Music is one of her many interests.

Recent Examples of interest from the Web

Republicans have little interest in new regulations, while many Democrats tend to ally themselves with the tech industry.

— Bloomberg.com, "Zuckerberg Testifies Before Senate Panel," 10 Apr. 2018
In 2015, after losing a bet of more than a hundred and fifty million dollars on the Swiss franc, Novogratz and his colleagues made the second of two huge bets that Brazilian interest rates would fall.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "A Sidelined Wall Street Legend Bets on Bitcoin," 10 Apr. 2018
Trade wars vs trade negotiations, and the broader improving growth vs rising interest rates.

— yuri kageyama, USA TODAY, "Global stocks rise as investors eye U.S.-China trade tensions," 10 Apr. 2018
Other reports said Cohen’s side business in taxi medallions might also be a subject of interest for prosecutors.

— peter grier, The Christian Science Monitor, "Behind shock of Cohen raid, signs of a meticulous process," 10 Apr. 2018
Also worth noting: Grief is not the same as depression, though the symptoms can sometimes feel indistinguishable; both can cause profound sadness, a lack of interest in social activities, and mood swings.

— rachel tavel, SELF, "How Mourning Runs Have Helped Me Grieve My Dad’s Death," 8 Apr. 2018
But Dempsey, the suit claims, soon discovered Avenatti secretly had taken out a $2 million loan with an exorbitant 15 percent interest rate, pledging all Tully’s assets as security, the suit claimed.

— lewis kamb, The Seattle Times, "Before Stormy Daniels, her attorney faced allegations of dubious business dealings," 7 Apr. 2018
Though he's known for his onscreen work, Pitt has a keen interest in architecture.

— harper's bazaar staff, Harper's BAZAAR, "Brad Pitt Is Reportedly Spending Time with an MIT Professor," 5 Apr. 2018
Ealy visited with the Cowboys on Tuesday and had interest in returning to the Jets before making a final decision on Thursday.

— clarence e. hill jr., star-telegram, "Cowboys add sixth bargain free agent, agree to 1-year deal with DE Kony Ealy | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 5 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'interest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of interest

Middle English, probably alteration of earlier interesse, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin, from Latin, to be between, make a difference, concern, from inter- + esse to be — more at is

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

interest Synonyms

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

interest

verb

Definition of interest

transitive verb

1 : to induce or persuade to participate or engage

2 : to engage the attention or arouse the interest of

See interest defined for English-language learners

Examples of interest in a Sentence

Military history doesn't really interest me.
It might interest you to know that the woman in this photograph is your great-grandmother.
It interested me to learn that she had once lived in California.
The salesman tried to interest me in a more expensive computer.

Recent Examples of interest from the Web

That's something that really interests me about this world.

— graeme mcmillan, The Hollywood Reporter, "The Risk John Boyega Took with 'Pacific Rim'," 23 Mar. 2018
If kids aren't interested in doing college but can't attack this arena, that’s a big hurdle.

— nicole spector /, NBC News, "Why millennials should start considering truck driving: It's almost a tech job," 18 Mar. 2018
The aide said Foxconn was interested in meeting with Wisconsin and Walker in Washington about a potential $10 billion, 10,000-job project.

— rick romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The romance between Foxconn and Wisconsin almost had a rocky start," 15 Mar. 2018
Developing a younger generation — cultivating a more peaceful, mindful generation — is something that interests me.

— josh robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Magic players describe their career aspirations after basketball," 7 Mar. 2018
Fox is reportedly interested in Manning joining the booth for its Thursday Night Football package, which the company recently acquired the rights to.

— matthew vantryon, Indianapolis Star, "ESPN and Fox are fighting over Peyton Manning. They both want him in their TV booth.," 16 Feb. 2018
During the task force’s three-hour hearings, Schoenauer said, interviewees would, one by one, make a statement of their recommendations, which would be followed by a discussion, after which Villani would circle back to issues that interested him.

— alex castro, The Verge, "Meet the “Lady Gaga of Mathematics” helming France’s AI task force," 28 Mar. 2018
Richie Riley isn't interested in discussing any long-range vision to rebuild South Alabama's struggling basketball program.

— creg stephenson, AL.com, "New South Alabama basketball coach Richie Riley: 'My plan is to win ASAP'," 17 Mar. 2018
Geils was interested in purchasing a Milwaukee property in the 300 block of East Wilson Street in September.

— karen pilarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brookfield title company sued over claims it didn't protect firm from scammer," 12 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of interest

1608

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

interest Synonyms

Synonyms

absorb, bemuse, busy, catch up, engage, engross, enthrall (or enthral), enwrap, fascinate, grip, immerse, intrigue, involve, occupy;

Near Antonyms

bore, jade, pall, tire, weary;

hypnotize, mesmerize;

distract, preoccupy;

hog, monopolize;

Phrases

catch one's eye;

Financial Definition of INTEREST

interest

noun

What It Is

Interest is the cost of borrowing money for a certain period of time.

How It Works

Let's assume you need $500,000 to buy a house. The "price" of borrowing that money is interest, and it is expressed as a percentage of the amount of money you obtain. The borrower pays the interest to the lender. The rate of interest reflects the time value of money, the borrower's credit risk, inflation rates and a variety of other market conditions.

Why It Matters

Interest rates are some of the most powerful and influential components of an economy. As a result, The definition of interest on InvestingAnswers most countries take a keen interest, if not an active role, in monitoring interest rates. They also affect individual, day-to-day consumer decisions, such as determining whether it's a good time to buy a house, borrow money for a college degree, or put money in a specific type of bank account.

Source: Investing Answers

INTEREST Defined for English Language Learners

interest

noun

Definition of interest for English Language Learners

: a feeling of wanting to learn more about something or to be involved in something
: a quality that attracts your attention and makes you want to learn more about something or to be involved in something
: something (such as a hobby) that a person enjoys learning about or doing

interest

verb

Definition of interest for English Language Learners

: to cause (someone) to want to learn more about something or to become involved in something
: to persuade (someone) to have, take, or participate in (something)

INTEREST Defined for Kids

interest

noun in·ter·est \ ˈin-trəst , ˈin-tə-rəst \

Definition of interest for Students

1 : a feeling of concern or curiosity about or desire to be involved with something

an interest in music

We lost interest in the game.

2 : a quality that makes something more appealing or interesting

Personal stories add interest to the book.

3 : something that a person enjoys learning about or doing

Sports is one of his many interests.

4 : something that provides help or benefit to a person or group

It's in your interest to study.

5 : the money paid by a borrower for the use of borrowed money

6 : the profit made on money that is invested

7 : a right, title, or legal share in something

They bought out his interest in the company.

8 interests plural : a group financially interested in an industry or business

mining interests

interest

verb

Definition of interest for Students

interested; interesting

1 : to persuade to become involved in

Can I interest you in joining us?

2 : to arouse and hold the concern, curiosity, or attention of

This movie doesn't interest me.

Law Dictionary

interest

noun in·ter·est \ ˈin-trəst; ˈin-tə-rəst, -ˌrest \

legal Definition of interest

1 : a right, title, claim, or share in property

— Article Nine security interest

: security interest in this entry

— beneficial interest

: the right to the use and benefit of property

a beneficial interest in the trust

— contingent interest

: a future interest whose vesting is dependent upon the occurrence or nonoccurrence of a future event — compare vested interest in this entry

— controlling interest

: sufficient stock ownership in a corporation to exert control over policy

— equitable interest

: an interest (as a beneficial interest) that is held by virtue of equitable title or that may be claimed on the ground of equitable relief

claimed an equitable interest in the debtor's assets

— executory interest

: a future interest other than a remainder or reversion that may take effect upon the divesting of a prior interest or one created simultaneously

Note: Unlike a remainder, an executory interest does not require the expiration of a prior interest. It was designed to guard against the destructibility of contingent remainders set forth in the rule in Shelley's case.

— expectation interest

: the interest of a party to a breached contract in receiving the benefit of the bargain by being put in a position as good as that which would have resulted had the contract been performed — called also expectancy interest; compare reliance interest in this entry

— future interest

: an interest in property limited or created so that its owner will come into the use, possession, or enjoyment of it at some future time — see also contingent interest and executory interest in this entry — compare remainder, reversion

— insurable interest

: an interest or stake in property or in a person that arises from the potential for especially financial loss upon the destruction of the property or the death of the person and that is a requirement for enforcing an insurance contract

Note: The purpose of requiring an insurable interest is to prevent the use of insurance as a form of gambling or as a method of profiting from destruction.

— legal interest

: an interest that is recognized in law (as by legal title) — compare equitable interest in this entry, legal title at title

— life interest

: an interest lasting for the duration of a person's life that forecloses the ability to affect the property beyond that term — compare life estate at estate 1

— possessory interest

: an interest (as a right) involving or arising out of the possession of property

Note: A possessory interest is based on control rather than use. Thus a lessee who occupies and controls the use of property has a possessory interest, while a party who has an easement does not.

— purchase money security interest

1 : the security interest held by the seller of collateral to secure payment of all or part of the price

2 : the security interest of a person that gives value to a debtor so that the debtor may acquire rights in or the use of collateral

— reliance interest

: the interest of a party to a breached contract in being compensated for detriments suffered (as expenses incurred) in reliance on the agreement — compare expectation interest in this entry

— reversionary interest

: an interest in property (as a possibility of reverter or a power of termination) remaining in the transferor of the property or in his or her successor in interest

— security interest

1 : an interest in property that exists by contract as security for payment or performance of an obligation

the security interest of a mortgagee in the mortgaged property

; also : lien

Note: While a lien may be created by statutory or judicial means without any agreement providing for security (as in the case of a tax lien or judgment lien), a security interest and lien may inhere in the same claim, as when a mortgage comprises both a lien on and security interest in the mortgaged property.

2 : an interest in personal property or fixtures created by a security agreement that secures payment or performance of an obligation

the creditor had a security interest in the inventory and accounts receivable of the business

— called also Article Nine security interest; see also attach 3, collateral 2, ²perfect b, purchase money security interest in this entry

Note: Security interests in personal property are governed by Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. The security interest set out in Article 9 largely replaces the traditional devices for security, such as the pledge and chattel mortgage. A security interest in property that has attached enables a creditor to obtain satisfaction of a debt out of the property without the need to obtain a judgment in court and levy on the property. Further, it provides the creditor with priority over competing claims against the property.

— terminable interest

: an interest (as in a life estate) that will terminate upon the occurrence of an event or the passing of time

— vested interest

: a present and certain right to the present or future enjoyment of property — compare contingent interest in this entry

— working interest

: the interest of a party that holds the right to oil, gas, or minerals on a property and that bears production costs — see also overriding royalty

2 : a specific concern or level of involvement (as financial involvement) especially that warrants recognition or causes bias

had a right to intervene because of an interest in the litigation

recused himself due to an interest in the matter

— see also conflict of interest

3 : something that causes or warrants particular attention: as

a : a principle, purpose, or object of concern

— compelling state interest

: a governmental interest (as in educating children or protecting the public) which is so important that it outweighs individual rights

— public interest

1 a : the general welfare and rights of the public that are to be recognized, protected, and advanced

the attorney general has standing as a representative of the public interest

b : a specific public benefit or stake in something

the public interest in controlling crime

2 : the concern or attention of the public

a matter of widespread public interest

b : a right especially that arises from a constitution (as the U.S. Constitution); especially : such a right considered as an issue or claim created in or involving a particular situation or thing

no person will be deprived of his interests in the absence of a proceeding in which he may present his case
—Marshall v. Jerrico, Inc., 446 U.S. 238 (1980)

— liberty interest

: an interest in freedom from governmental deprivation of liberty especially without due process

the liberty interest implicated by the needless discouragement of the exercise of the right to counsel
—State v. Albert, 899 P.2d 103 (1995) (dissent)

— privacy interest

: an interest in freedom from governmental intrusion into matters in which one has a reasonable expectation of privacy

we have no privacy interest protected by the federal Constitution in limiting public or government access to knowledge of our financial transactions
—L. H. Tribe

— property interest

: an interest in freedom from governmental deprivation of property and sources of financial gain (as employment or a government benefit) without due process; broadly : something (as a job or benefit) to which one has a legitimate claim of entitlement and that cannot be taken away without due process as distinguished from the unprotected object of a need, desire, or expectation

4 : the well-being of a person —often used in pl.

does not serve the child's best interests

5 : a charge for the use of another's money that is usually a percentage of the money being used

an account yielding 7% interest

paid back the loan with interest

— compound interest

: interest computed on the sum of the original principal and accrued interest

— legal interest

: a lawful interest rate and especially the highest rate allowed

proposals to increase the legal interest on department store credit cards to 15%
—American Banker

also : interest computed at such a rate

awarded the defendant legal interest

— compare usury

— qualified residence interest

: interest that is deductible from adjusted gross income under federal tax law when it is paid on debt that is secured by one's residence and that was incurred for the acquisition, construction, improvement, or refinancing of the residence or through a home equity loan

— simple interest

: interest computed on the principal of a loan or account

Origin and Etymology of interest

probably alteration of earlier interesse, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin, from Latin, to be between, make a difference, concern, from inter- between, among + esse to be